Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-01-14

Are They sDeclining in Morals and Re
ligion?

ligion?
Statistics are edge tools One should
know hat he is doing when he attempts
to handle them. Bur general differences
from insufficient data are even worse. Dr. .
William c. Prime, a well-known Presby- .
terrain writer, has recently been endeavor-
ing to show how sadly the bill towns Of
New England are declining in morals and
religion. He took certain facts, and Ger
tam statements OF apparent fpcts, and
passed on to broad concentrations which /
are to say the least, misleading. \ writer
Ill the New York ErcHjug Post has fol-
lowed in the same strain. They both give
us "a sad miscrere chant" which if true.
Is Nery dlspiriting and suggests "a soul
about to dle.' But the picture is carl
Cature. 1t is essentially untrue in its
general impression
a good Presbyterian brother Of New
York city felt this 80 deeply that he sent
letters to 200 reading men Of different see
tlous of New Eng.aud, tnd from the $50
answers received HD. X = ura letter of IN
usual interest vi lCh appears IN the Even
ing Post of December H. He admits as
al must, that owing to the sterlity Of
the soil and O.her causes. the population
OF many OF the bill towns is decreasing,
and the young life streaming Westward
And, also the rapid influx of a Roman
Catholic population i noted. In view of
these two facts, IT would not be surprising
. churrh mcmhrrshin rsnidIy d4rreasin5
Is his the cnsey /. the lnrSe continprnf
furnished to churches beyond the lud-
son 50 terrible a drain on the home
5 churches as to weaken and ultimately
facts shows that the STATISTICS ara an
, the other side. 1t is true that certain
churches are dying out because the pOpu-
, lation OF those towns has changed front.
. now the railroad or mill has drawn the
; buIk of inc nopuIation down into tho
r ueiuhborinp valley And there fine church
bell RINGS. and a .,oodlv CONGREGATION
/ gathers ON the Lords dav This i very
, imnortant TO bear in mind in consiJ4rin1
g the hill town problem.
Now. as to the facts: In Vermont. with
o only two towns of over 10000 inhabitants
% CRutland and Burlingtou. whereas 20
e wears 400 there was but one church mem
n her in every II of the populatiOn. to-day
7 Notwithstanding the tOreitu influx and thp
+ western drain. there is one to every
f. - Of the population. In Nlassa-
o chusc:ts. the home Missionerv society
a gives these encouraging figures, Tuo.r
II Iuuus in which churches had been
d neiped during tnc last 40 voars diminished
e iu polnldtiou from 1916 to 800. vet the
o dur h MEMBERSHIP nn, risen from 5g1 f.,
G6f. Also i'm % other towns. \vnIl. the
.pupuit.iou ha, diminished from 93O,3to
i6315. the church membership I'M. i'm
creased from IoNl tn iGGi - irhn othnr
New Erplpud States are i'm no wise he
hind Vermont and Massachusetts In
fact the writer from yyhnn we niInta in
the Er,aiuu Post asserts that.
II NasSacnusetts and Rhode Island have
ri shown less increase in churches and
Il church members for the last 20 wears than
~ any other New England STATES i'm pronOr-
y tlOu to pOuulatiOu Yet in Mas.achu-ptts
u for that p,riOd there has baen an iucr4a -
z of II IN inc nunlher Of churches =; il, the
n, number of ministers more than % OOO in
~ the number of church members more
- than 24OOO i'm the number of sunday.
Al .chool. and more than S9OO OoO i'm h,.ney.
ct client contributions,
X When we read the report fIom Yer.
r mont. and remember that more mem.
; hers of Christian churchps have emicratcd
IL from Vermont DURING fhe iIst fen vear.
IL than have renamed tlprp'' we do MOI
~ woude. that our wiircr speaks our in HE
r. folIov,in.r sturdy fashion and I'm. vvay 40
II I,,rat f., and con,luce mi candid minds.
" iuIi. ISSUE win the writer i'm M. as
u SUMPTION tnat he traditional id-.,I of ME
u f. H. old \.U Enyluud ~. of q Mon d.
u plrr~ lyur man the New ENGLAND Gi,,j.
= iiI,I,fty 81 tn-dav maintain M. 'ro,ti.,,rv
y Christianity i'm New E,mrianI is io.JHy
:, purer, more earnest. more aggressive
u ,The Christian fathers of New EnpI;lrd
= were indeed highIv edncated Many mi
~ them were incum6ents of the church
I i'm fine old cuuntry They 4vn.nd
lt ed their force ON treat d0crrIn
ol NJ Themes. Thpir fest of Chrs
n tan was a knowledge of a creed. and
D his ability to cXpound and eXulnin II. The
D. rnrlrcb y:us buIit. The drum ne,t or IN,
H. brl ruu,. and the ppoplr were eXnrcter
: ia come 10 churcn 10 listen not IT, how
~ thry -noull live. bat to what tney shoulC
- L.li4vr 'rhr ministry and Inc civil otliriaI.
oI rnm1titut,d tb,.ari.tIcrarv ,ybnin .I,,.rin
H. r.,trpura wa. dine and t6oseNyh, decline,
r. tn nav reference nr. IN assent IN rLe rr.n,
q ,v.r" cnnutpd az irrerlaiInahIr nlltr';sts
Win whnm thpv could have no u.~n-ia
ian ana to ,v6un, tbcv 0,v.I mn ol,iI,rn
st tinn Thair da.candnmtS bovevar ,,LIL
tnev inherited their stnrdv ideIiN
'aI tn cre,ds and their n1Ssion t-
)l- co,trov4rsla1 SKIN reItv4d ma
~ rlEld eNCluslNeneSS when separated
\. their fathers from The outside world, ant
..s.. t.s